Do you mean that your local Stickley dealer is closing - or are they closing a factory? I'm pretty sure I bought my last piece of Stickley several years ago (can't afford it anymore!), but sure would hate to see such a quality, reputable furniture maker go out of business!

The local Ethan Allan's warehouse or something closed here and they had a sale at the main store, but they are still in business so I don't know what the deal was for the sale. I was told about the sale the other day when I stopped in my local EA to check out their line of sofa's. I must say I was very unimpressed with the sofa's. When I sat on one, I said I would like it firmer, the lady replied, that was their firmest and I thought, well that's not right. I've bought sofa's before and I know most good furniture stores offer a firmer seat. They didn't have anything that I was looking for and I didn't really even talk prices so I don't know where they are on pricing their merchandise.

Personally I never go to a "sale". It's always a waste of my time and energy. When I fall into a sale by accident I'm happy, but I never go to one on purpose. I'v never gone to a sale and found anything I wanted or liked.

Sorry, I know I was absolutely no help to you. Just wanted to tell of my experience with them.

I know that Ethan Allen is closing some of their stores but not all. They have started manufacturing in China and I guess people don't want to spend the kind of money they're charging for imported furniture.

To be fair...a lot of the higher end furniture companies are working from overseas now.

Parma, I've always felt that way about Ethan Allen. Since I've had a real job (i.e., been in a position to buy furniture) I've heard bad stories about disappointing EA products. Their designs are gorgeous, though.

AJ, it's just our local Stickley/Amish store, and I'm not sure we have enough $$ lying around to buy Stickley even now! But it was always out there, a light shining in the distance (or at least a place to go take pictures of beautifully crafted/designed furniture and then try to find local guys to build it cheaper). Now we're stuck with Roomstore.

As I write, I'm thinking I might actually lug my husband on a trip down there. He'll really love it, I'm sure. But it might be worth a look, even if just for design inspiration!

"AJ, it's just our local Stickley/Amish store"

Aren't Stickley and Amish two different things there? I know they are here.
Our Stickley store does NOT carry anything Amish made.
But there is an Amish place within a mile from the Stickley store.

Out Stickley is very much in business, and plenty of things are still made in Manlius NY.
I just had three pieces delivered since December, all locally made.

On the other hand, our Ethan Allen moved out around 15 years ago.

Luann, yes, it's a little strange. One store, two lines: Amish-made stuff and Stickley. I've never been there, just seen the ads.

hmmm... I'd be going then, just to see what they carried!

BTW - I only buy my Stickley when it is at least 42% off (I never saw them go lower than that). Often I get 50 or 55% off.

ugh... no edit option.
I meant that my store either is at regular price, or they jump up to 42% off MSRP.
I have never been in there and saw 25 or 30% off... which is odd to me.

My local EA store "closed" about a year ago, but they became Drexel Heritage. I don't know if it was because of the EA company or the franchisee.

It was strange when DH and I went in there while shopping for our new breakfast room furniture. There was a table sitting alone without any chairs around it. I walked over to it, and the saleslady said, "Oh, that's an old EA table left over from the old store." I loved the look and shape of the table, but it was heavily scratched. She said the scratches would buff out. It did have a clearance price tag on it - it was still $3,800! No thanks! If that was representative of the "deals" they were offering, I would not drive. I learned on the Furniture Forum that all of EA's furniture is now made overseas. However, it is hard to find furniture that is made in the USA. All of Drexel's casegoods are made overseas, but their upholstery is still made here - so we were told.

What part of the country do you live in?
Considering there are millions of people who live in the bay area (I'm one of them) I'm amazed how few quality furniture stores there are. Recently I received notice that one of the EA stores was closing (in the east bay). The owner also owns 2 other EA stores (both in the south bay). The Mountain View store is owned by a different person. If we need a drug store on every corner how can a handful of furniture stores be struggling with hundreds of thousands of potential customers? All they really need are maybe a thousand people each year to stay in business, that's such a small percentage of the population living in their area...and yet they can't attract them. I don't get where people are shopping. It's been like this for years, long before the economy turned south. The number of furniture stores per capita has always seemed very low to me.

I too am amazed at how most of the better furniture stores have either radically changed or just gone away. Visited ( for the first time in years) the local Henredon, Drexel-Heritage store and was aghast at the huge, ugly furniture and accessories . Of course, there were exceptions, but OMG! Monster carvings, ornate tapestries, *gaudy silk with glittery baubles. The former Homestead House has a new(er) owner with same quality as HH, ONLY if one were to judge quality by the prices. Same hideous stuff as above. I walked out swooning. Seems can find little beauty outside of Baker, etc.showrooms. EA looks pretty nice, still, but we've all heard how their quality has gone waaay down. I don't mean to offend, but I see very few, or no examples of this gaudy stuff on any of the photos posted here, nor is it in any of the home mags, or decor books (such as C. Faudree sp.?)so many of us admire, so I feel safe here. So who ARE the people that drive this taste? And who has the humongous rooms for the giant sectionals, chairs with arms the size of large tree trunks, etc.? My home is over 4500 sq ft.with nice sized rooms, 10 ft. ceilings, and would not hold this stuff. I just don't get it! Oops! Did I just hijack this thread? I hope not :>/ It is a question that has been bugging me for sometime now, and seemed a good place to respond. Please forgive if I should have posted separately. *btw: not all silk and glitter is gaudy :>O

I just got off the Drexel-Heritage website. They have so many more styles than the big, ornate ones you mention. I think it's the store owners who pick what goes on their floors. Don't have a clue why they'd pick what you are describing.

Unfortunately, the coffee table I was looking up had a price tag of over $1,500. *gasp* This may be why fewer are buying from those types of stores. Coupled with the fact that they are made overseas...it's a bad combination of price and quality expectations.

Flyingflower, I don't even understand how someone living out in parts of California can afford to buy ANY furniture, let alone expensive ones. LOL

Then there are the people who build expensive homes and buy cheaper furniture. Not judging, just observing. When the housing market got so high that most people were stretched to afford mortgage payments, there wasn't much leftover for furnishings.

Flyingflower, I'm in southern NM, near El Paso, TX.

Leahcate, not a hijack at all... that was kind of my concern too, since I like simpler lines on furniture, and need smaller stuff. Around here there's a ton of ornate pieces, ginormous sectionals etc, also a lot of rustic, but not much clean-lined modern or transitional. Not even much Mission. And lousy antique shops, alas.

And I agree entirely with parma: what is *up* with the $1500 coffee tables made in China, from MDF and cheap veneer? (please, no flames, I know that much fine furniture is made with veneer, but I also know the difference between good veneer and cheap veneer...)

Our Drexel-Heritage store closed down a few years ago, I was really bummed about that because it was one of the nicest furniture stores and a lot of fun to browse in...but browsers like me don't pay the rent so I guess I shouldn't whine because I never did buy furniture from them!

leahcate...you're not hijacking the thread, I for one enjoyed reading your comments. Here's how it was explained to me...the tree trunk (lol!) furniture that you're referring to is designed for the new style of homes with tiny rooms but very tall ceilings. Builders cram these soft story homes next to each other to get the most out of the land. So, they go up rather than out. In order to make prospective buyers think they're getting a big house they use the illusion of height to make up for lack of floor space. The vast expanse over your head makes normal size furniture look out of scale. So companies like Marge Carson started making furnishings in a scale that's proportionate for these homes.

I probably shouldn't specify rooms being tiny because the same holds for homes that are larger...but around here that's what I see mostly with new construction. Builders are putting the squeeze on buyers by making homes closer and closer until they're literally on top of each other. I don't know how people can live that way, if you sneeze your next door neighbor can hand you a kleenex.